The Sims 4: Culinary Career Guide

Everyone needs to eat, your Sims included, but the Sims most passionate about foods and flavors should consider a job in the Culinary career in The Sims 4. Working night hours serving up tasty treats either edible or juice-based, Chefs and Mixologists alike benefit from a natural sense of creativity.

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If you want your Sim to become the best cook in the neighborhood, you need to learn our tips about recipes in this guide.

The majority of the reward unlocks for the Culinary career are decorations, but not only do they serve to make your kitchens look that much nicer, but they also offer an Inspired aura that can help your Sims sinch that promotion they’re looking for as they advance in the career.

Culinary Career Overview

Available in The Sims 4 base game, the Culinary career is one of the more imaginative in the game and is a great choice for Sims passionate about either cooking or mixology.

All Sims will need to know how to cook at least a little bit, but those most passionate about food can pursue a Culinary career to make use of their creativity and Inspiration.

You'll be able to choose a specialty that allows your Sim to work later hours than most careers, ideal for students or Night Owl Sims.

Though not necessary for the gameplay, the Home Chef Hustle pack adds plenty of new options for food-based careers to The Sims 4!

Pursue Either Cooking Or Bartending

After reaching the level six promotion after your Sim's time as a Line Cook at level five, they'll be allowed to choose a specialty: either the Chef branch or the Mixologist branch.

• Chefs keep their focus on all things culinary and not only continue to develop their Cooking skill, but they'll branch out and make good progress into the Gourmet Cooking skill as well to wow top-level clients.
• Mixologists, meanwhile, pursue the Mixology skill as they keep bartending, all the while becoming smoother talkers as they build the Charisma skill.

You'll need to reach Level Three in both the Cooking and Mixology skills to reach the promotion where you're allowed to choose a branch, so it's wise to build both skills early on before deciding your specialty and pursuing that more concretely.

Helpful Traits And Aspirations

Since your food-inclined Sims will need a wellspring of inspiration for their work, the Creative trait is a helpful choice when designing your Sim in CAS.

Creative Sims are more inclined to naturally feel Inspired, which is the ideal mood for the Culinary career. Leaving the house in the right mood can sometimes make all the difference when aiming for promotions!

It also allows them to watch cooking shows on TV for Inspiration, which is helpful for both cooking-related goals and getting into the ideal work mood.

If your Sim is going to be cooking for a living, giving them the Foodie trait may help, as this introduces several different social interactions related to food.

The downside to this, though, is that Foodie Sims feel uncomfortable when consuming cheap or low-quality foods, so the trait is perhaps best left for Sims with enough money and skill to make the boost worth it.

Thankfully, both branches of the career are able to choose aspirations that pair well with their workgoals and daily tasks:

• Sims in the Chef branch can choose to pursue the Master Chef aspiration to earn more Satisfaction Points when cooking their daily meals and building their Cooking skills.
• Meanwhile, Sims who opted for the Mixologist branch of the career should instead go for the Master Mixologist aspiration to help boost gains from their Mixology skill-building.

Both are excellent ways to help your Sim earn more rewards from the Rewards Store, which can further increase their chances of promotion, boost moods, additional traits, and more.

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Every Level Of The Culinary Career: Pay, Hours, Promotion Requirements, And More

In the tables below, we've kept track of the progression through the Culinary career in The Sims 4.

This includes the working hours for each level of the career, pay rates measured both hourly and per day, and any daily requirements your Sim needs to complete before being promoted.

General Culinary Career (Levels 1-5)

Level

Hours

Rates

Promotion Requirements and Daily Tasks

Assistant Dishwasher (1)

Friday-Monday, and Wednesday

4 PM - 1 AM

§15/Hour

(§135/Day)

N/A

Head Dishwasher (2)

Thursday-Monday

4 PM - 1 AM

§16/Hour

(§144/Day)

Prepare Food or Mix Drinks.

Reach Level 2 in the Cooking skill.

Caterer (3)

Thursday-Monday

3 PM - 11 PM

§26/Hour

(§208/Day)

Prepare Food or Mix Drinks

Reach Level 2 in the Mixology skill.

Mixologist (4)

Friday-Monday

6 PM - 2 AM

§35/Hour

(§344/Day)

Prepare Food or Mix Drinks.

Reach Level 3 in the Cooking skill.

Reach Level 3 in the Mixology skill.

Line Cook (5)

Friday-Monday

2 PM - 10 PM

§43/Hour

(§344/Day)

Prepare Food or Mix Drinks.

Reach Level 4 in the Cooking skill.

Reach Level 4 in the Mixology skill.

Chef Career Branch

Level

Hours

Rates

Promotion Requirements and Daily Tasks

Head Caterer (6)

Friday - Monday

3 PM - 12 AM

§52/Hour

($468/Day)

Prepare Food.

Reach Level 6 in the Cooking skill.

Reach Level 2 in the Gourmet Cooking skill.

Pastry Chef (7)

Thursday - Monday

12 PM - 5 PM

§104/Hour

(§520/Day)

Prepare Food.

Reach Level 7 in the Cooking skill.

Reach Level 4 in the Gourmet Cooking skill.

Sous Chef (8)

Thursday - Monday

8 PM - 2 AM

§131/Hour

(§786/Day)

Prepare Food.

Reach Level 8 in the Cooking skill.

Reach Level 6 in the Gourmet Cooking skill.

Executive Chef (9)

Friday - Monday

5 PM - 11 PM

§253/Hour

(§1,518/Day)

Prepare Food.

Reach Level 10 in the Cooking skill.

Reach Level 8 in the Gourmet Cooking skill.

Celebrity Chef (10)

Friday - Monday

12 PM - 6 PM

§410/Hour

(§2,460/Day)

Prepare Food.

Mixologist Career Branch

Level

Hours

Rates

Promotion Requirements and Daily Tasks

Head Mixologist (6)

Thursday - Monday

6 PM - 1 AM

§45/Hour

(§315/Day)

Mix Drinks.

Reach Level 5 in the Mixology skill.

Reach Level 2 in the Charisma skill.

Juice Boss (7)

Thursday - Monday

7 PM - 2 AM

§64/Hour

(§448/Day)

Mix Drinks.

Reach Level 7 in the Mixology skill.

Reach Level 4 in the Charisma skill.

Chief Drink Operator (8)

Thursday - Sunday

4 PM - 12 AM

§111/Hour

(§888/Day)

Mix Drinks.

Reach Level 8 in the Mixology skill.

Reach Level 6 in the Charisma skill.

Drinkmaster (9)

Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday

2 PM - 12 AM

§166/Hour

(§1,660/Day)

Mix Drinks.

Reach Level 10 in the Mixology skill.

Reach Level 8 in the Charisma skill.

Celebrity Mixologist (10)

Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday

12 PM - 10 PM

§197/Hour

(§1,970/Day)

Mix Drinks.

Mixologists end up working fewer days of the week throughout their career branch, but Chefs earn more money, so choose which is the pro and which is the con when deciding between branches in The Sims 4 Culinary career.

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All Rewards And Items Unlocked In The Culinary Career

Finally, these are all the rewards, social interactions, and new items unlocked as you progress through both branches of the Culinary career in The Sims 4.

The majority of the rewards for this career are decorative, but most of the decoration items give off an Inspiring aura, making them useful to have at home to help your Sim drum up some additional Inspiration.

Every Culinary Career Reward In The Sims 4

Level

Items and Interactions Unlocked

General Culinary Career

Assistant Dishwasher (1)

N/A

Head Dishwasher (2)

Corporate Chic Countertop (Counter)

Caterer (3)

Stain Steel Auto-Pot (Coffee Pot)

Mixologist (4)

Umber Kitchen Sink (Sink)

Line Cook (5)

Corporate Chic Counter Island (Counter)

New Items in CAS.

Chef Career Branch

Head Caterer (6)

Positronic Pro Magnetic Knife Rack (Decor)

Pastry Chef (7)

Heavy Dutiest Pot Rack (Decor)

Professional Ceiling-Mounted Pot Rack (Decor)

Ceiling Pot Rack - Oval (Decor)

Sous Chef (8)

Icebox of Steel by Krampft Industries (Refrigerator)

Write Cookbook on computers.

Executive Chef (9)

(Simoleon bonus only, no items or interactions.)

Celebrity Chef (10)

Pancake Pro Free-Standing Griddle (Stove)

Discretion Stove Hood (Decor)

Pro Performance Range Hood (Decor)

The Obelisk (Decor)

New Items in CAS.

Mixologist Career Branch

Head Mixologist (6)

Captain Rodrigo de Pablo Cask (Decor)

Juice Boss (7)

(Simoleon bonus only, no items or interactions.)

Chief Drink Operator (8)

Vinoteca Bottle Rack (Decor)

Write Bar Guide on computers.

Drinkmaster (9)

Lemonade on a Sunny Day Torchiere (Lamp)

Celebrity Mixologist (10)

Bar Setters Bar (Home Bar)

New Items in CAS.

Publishing the skill books your Sims can write once they reach Level Eight of their chosen career path is a great way to make a little cash on the side.

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